Commonwealth trials – a bane than a boon
This is to bring to your notice the incorrect information published in the Sunday times of 12th December 2021, under the above heading.
First of all, the information is incorrect; as the final names of the selected boxers were not announced officially to date. The Selection committee has sent the names to the boxing association on Saturday the 11th of December 2021, which has to be ratified in the forthcoming executive meeting to be held on the 17th of December 2021.
For your information, the names you have published mentioning that there was an ‘injustice’ by not picking them to the national pool is absolutely wrong. Both Dilshan Mohammed of the Air force and Niraj Wijewardena from Kingwood Boxing association have been selected to the pool. The selection committee is an independent body headed by General Jagath Jayasooriya, and the team has a long track record of transparency and fair-play.
The administration, headed by the President, Dian Gomes clearly endorses that no referee/judge or any other official should not be influencing the selection by promoting their boxers and their clubs at any of the trials. It has been observed that, one or two referee judges has been trying to interfere with the selections, also leaking false information to the media which will be dealt by the disciplinary committee in the near future.
Further it was decided by the selection committee, and this was not considered a competition, but a selection trial to be pick the national pool/development boxers for the future that it was not necessary for the referee to raise the winner’s hand, which was informed by the Technical Manager – AIBA ITO Col. Hemantha Weerasinghe at the technical meeting, prior to the Commonwealth trials. There were five judges doing the official scoring for each of the bout so that a discussion could take place by the selection committee and the executive committee on the potential boxers to be developed for the future and the selection of the national pool. This is not contrary to any of the international boxing rules as it is not considered a competition.
We also would like to mention that no Sri Lankan official have been suspended to date by the AIBA nor IOC. This is a smear campaign to discredit an international referee judge who officiated at the Olympics, by a another boxing official with a vested interest for personal gain.
Would appreciate if you can correct this information by publishing this message.
Abdulla Ibunu Secretary – BASL
Sports Editor’s Note : It is indeed surprising to receive a ‘correction’ to the story published by the Sunday Times‘ edition of December 12, 2021 as it is not us, collectively or individually, that constructed the article on our own will. The article ‘Commonwealth trials — a bane than a boon’ was totally based on letters sent to the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) by two aggrieved entities, Sri Lanka Air Force and Kingswood Boxing Club. It’s no secret that one of the letters has been copied to the selection committee of the Commonwealth Games 2022, which is apparently the National Olympic Committee.
The Sunday Times never published any names of the selected boxers from the said Commonwealth Trials, but only three names provided in the two letters by the two clubs. Moreover, the letters, of which copies are in possession by us, clearly mention that they are writing to BASL based on the 19 names published in another Sunday publication of December 5, 2021 and that it did not have the names of the said three boxers, whereas the names of the losers of the bouts have been published.
How and why these 19 names were published is not of concern to the Sunday Times, as we have not covered the event nor gave publicity to the names that are yet to be released by BASL. In addition, if as the above letter states, the information were incorrect, then the two letters of appeals or protests, sent by the aforesaid two clubs, would be too can be termed ‘misleading’ in the view of BASL.
The form that any sports’ governing body decides to conduct its competitions or meets of any sort does not matter to any publishing house, if they are met with the set rules and regulations of the parent or global body. If BASL states that it decided not to raise the hands of the winners, the question is why did it took place in the first two days and a good half of the final day and not a dozen of bout? It’s a question raised by the officials of not only the two clubs that are concerned and decided to write of the grievances they believe had to undergo, but also many other clubs and its officials.
Rest of the credentials and matters mentioned in the correction letter are best known to BASL and its stakeholders.